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Bali prosecutor demanded Thursday the Denpasar District Court sentence New Zealand citizen Anthony Glen de Malmanche to 18 years in prison for smuggling almost 1.7 kilograms of crystal methamphetamine into the island.

The 52-year-old man was arrested in December last year shortly after he arrived at Ngurah Rai International airport from Hong Kong on Hong Kong Airlines flight HX 709. Custom officials searched his luggage and found a package of crystal methamphetamine in his backpack.

At Thursday'€™s hearing, prosecutor Siti Sawiyah asked the panel of judges to declare the defendant guilty for importing more than five grams of narcotics, violating Article 113 point 2 of the 2009 Narcotic Law. The prosecutor also demanded the court order the defendant to pay Rp 4 billion (US$301,100) in fines, which could be substituted by an additional six months in prison.

'€œThe defendant has acted against the government'€™s ongoing efforts to eradicate illegal drugs,'€ she said.

The defendant, according to the prosecutor, has also damaged the image of Bali, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, with his act.

'€œThe defendant'€™s act has created a false image of Bali as a haven for illegal drugs,'€ she said.

'€œCrystal methamphetamine weighing 1.6 kg is also extremely harmful and dangerous for both the nation and its people. This is a transnational crime.'€

Responding to the prosecutor'€™s demand, Malmanche'€™s lawyer, Chris Harno, asked the panel of judges to give the defendant two weeks to prepare his defense plea. The judges, however, only gave him 12 days.

President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo, who was inaugurated in October last year, has repeatedly pledged to fight drug abuse.

Defying intense pressure from the international community, the government executed 14 convicted drug traffickers, including two Australians and two Brazilians, during the first four months of this year.

In a separate trial on Thursday, another Bali prosecutor demanded that the same court sentence 25-year-old Australian Nicholas James Langan and his Indonesian friend Hanung Pekik Hermantoro, 25, to four years in prison for drug abuse.

Both Langan and Hermanto were arrested in Batu Bolong beach in North Kuta in late January as they shared a marijuana joint on the beach. The arrest was conducted based on a report from security officers who had seen them smoking marijuana. From the two defendants, police seized a used-marijuana joint weighing 0.1 grams and 0.86 grams of marijuana wrapped in brown paper.

'€œThe defendants have been proven guilty, violating Article 127 of the 2009 Narcotic Law. During the trial, we didn'€™t find any reason to forgive the defendant, so that the defendant must be responsible for their act and be declared guilty,'€ prosecutor Denny Iswanto said.

The prosecutor said that the urine test of Langan was negative for narcotics. However, another examination conducted by Bhayangkara Hospital, a police-owned hospital, declared that both are active marijuana users.

'€œThe defendants'€™ act did not support the government'€™s illegal drugs eradication program. The defendants, however, have been polite during the trial,'€ Denny said.

Both defendants have been given a week to prepare their defense pleas.